Wreckage
by sglatte
Summary: An Ancient battleship wreckage is found underwater. Could it have a vital Wraith intel? Maybe a charged ZPM? But it is stable enough to salvage? Team Adv & Shep/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Wreckage**

_Time Frame:_ Mid third season; after Common Ground but before The Return

_A/N:_ This story includes my OC, Toni Beck. The background with her, Sheppard, and the team can be found under my profile. Thank you to all those who encouraged me to write more. I really appreciate the feedback!

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**TEASER:**

He unlatched the helmet and took a deep breath of the stale air. Moving down the dimly lit hall, John Sheppard felt himself stagger. The floor seemed to tilt. He reached out for the cold metal of the wall as a searing pain stabbed behind his right eye. A groan escaped his throat when he tilted his head to one side. The pain spread down his back and arms, flaring at each of his joints. Pins and needles attacked his hands and feet. When John tried to move down the hall his sciatic nerve blazed.

John heard Teyla cry out further down the hall. Biting down on his lip and pushing past the pain, he moved toward her. She lay on the floor just around the corner. Her hands pressed to her head as she panted. "John. What is…happening?"

He had a pretty good idea. "Rodney! What the hell did you just do?!"

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**Wreckage – Chapter 1**

A fine sweat broke out on Rodney McKay's brow. His hands felt clammy and his heart pounded heavily in his chest. His whole body tensed in the heat of battle. ''Come on, you bastard, die!"

"You're going to have to do better than that."

The mocking laughter of his opponent only made the scientist redouble his efforts. His guns blazed and the battlefield finally began to clear. ''Ha! Take that!"

With a blinding flash and a loud explosion the screen in front of McKay turned red. ''What!?"

''You're dead." Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard threw his game controller on to the desk. ''That's two beers you owe me, Rodney."

''I thought I was doing so much better." Rodney whined, tossing his controller down beside the other.

''John, have you seen... Rodney!" Toni Beck, the expedition's marine biologist came rushing into the room. ''Just the man I want to see."

''Hey.'' John frowned. ''You're supposed to say that to me, not him."

''Don't worry. You'll hear that from me later." She winked.

The Colonel and Toni had been seeing one another for over six months. Balancing their personal life and their professional lives took a little time, but things were working out rather well.

''Rodney,'' Toni put an arm around his shoulder. ''I could really use your help. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can help me."

''I think I may be sick." John mumbled into his hand.

Toni turned to him as if Rodney wasn't even there. ''Did I overdo it? I laid that on a little too thick, huh?"

''Oh yeah, I need hip-waders over here." Sheppard smiled.

''Hello? I'm right here." McKay rolled his eyes.

''I'm teasing." She smiled sweetly at the scientist.

''I'm not."

''John!" She turned back to Rodney. ''Honestly. I do need your help."

''With?" Rodney looked disgusted but it was all an act.

''Networking the survey buoys from Earth with the database in my lab. I think if I can get all of the data and video feed to flow together I can track everything much better."

''Sure. I suppose. It should be easy enough to do." McKay nodded.

''Great! This will make my life so much easier." She smiled. Toni looked at the game on the computer screen. Pointing at one of towers of the game environment, she whispered in Rodney's ear. "Look out. He hides up there with a sniper riffle every time."

With a squeal, she quickly scurried away from John's grasping hands and ran from the room before he could get a hold of her for giving away the secret.

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''How's it going?" Doctor Elizabeth Weir entered the marine lab.

Since her arrival on Atlantis, Toni had been studying the sea life and the impact it could have on the expedition. She worked from a lab they'd found in the lower areas of Atlantis, where it had access to an observation room on the underside of the city. In recent weeks, they had placed several sensors in the water for gathering data.

When the alternate universe "Rod" McKay was among them for a time, he made mention of derelict Ancient ship they had located underwater in his universe. He said the computer core had given them a lot of valuable intelligence on the Wraith. Of course, saying it had a ZPM got everyone's attention, too.

Dangling the carrot of such intelligence got the expedition the survey buoys they'd wanted. Still, while searching, Toni gathered all the data and logged all of the marine life she could.

"Things are moving little slower than I'd like, but I'm getting some great information flowing in." Toni turned toward Elizabeth. She pointed to a bank of monitors on the wall. Each one displayed a different underwater view. ''Rodney did a great job hooking my sensors into the database. I can even identify the fish as they come into view."

''I understand you've found some resembling halibut? John is already asking the kitchens to get extra potatoes so we can have fresh fish and chips."

Toni laughed. It was a running joke between them ever since the first day they'd met.

"These are beautiful. What are they?" Elizabeth pointed to one screen with bright blue and yellow fish swimming in tight schools.

"I think they're some sort of balistapus undulatus, a eh, triggerfish. There is a seamount that juts to the surface so there's a wide variety of life there."

Toni studied Elizabeth for a moment. She seemed tired and a little distracted. ''But you didn't come all the way down here for a status report."

"No, not really." She smiled wearily and wrapped her arms around herself. "Just looking for a place to hide out for a while. I have some sticky political reports to write and I just don't want to deal with any more of it right now. Do you mind terribly?"

Toni grinned at Elizabeth. "Not a problem. I can be a procrastinator's paradise. You've come down to check the progress on the Northern Current Survey Project. Right?"

"Precisely."

"Good." Toni motioned to the mini-fridge in the corner. "Grab a drink and I'll give you a tour."

"Thanks." Elizabeth got herself a bottle of water and sat down in front of the monitors. Watching the schools of fish swim with the current was relaxing. A pink bumpy crab moved across a stone in search of food.

Looking at the stone more closely, Elizabeth realized it wasn't a stone at all. It looked remarkably like part of a ship. ''Toni, what is that?"

"It's a crab." Toni came over to stand beside her. She looked more closely at the surface the crab crawled along. ''Is that?"

''Part of a ship?" Elizabeth finished.

''Sure does look like it." Toni checked the readout for that camera. ''I think we need to take a look at this."

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''Colonel," Weir called as the team emerged from the shimmering surface of the gate. ''How did it go?"

"Just peachy." John answered without enthusiasm. "Everything is set for the trade next week."

''Good, because you and the team need to join us in the conference room as soon as you're cleared. We've found something you need to see." She smiled.

They made their way to the conference room in a matter of minutes. Weir, Toni and Zelenka were crowded around a computer screen when they came in.

''So." John stepped up behind them. ''Whatcha got?"

''That was fast." Elizabeth commented. ''Please have a seat."

''We found something." Toni smiled widely. ''I'm not positive at this point…we have to go down and get closer readings…but I think it's a wreckage from the war."

''A battleship? Seriously?" Sheppard leaned forward on his elbows, his eyes lighting up. ''What kind of condition?"

''We're not sure." Zelenka brought up another screen showing a scan and the vague images of the sea floor. ''These images are as detailed as we can get from here. There's hardly any energy reading at all."

''It's hard to tell what kind of condition it's in or how much of it is buried beneath the reef. There could be ten thousand years of growth over it." Toni added. ''This area is on the upper slope of a seamount. So where it rests is relatively shallow... only around 360 feet."

''Only?" Rodney scoffed.

''It's well in the range of the jumpers." Toni added hopefully.

''You want to go check it out." Ronon stated.

''Oh yeah." She nodded.

"So when do we leave?" Sheppard leaned back in his chair.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Wreckage – Chapter 2

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The jumper approached a small island of no more than a few acres, a lone mass among miles and miles of water. The barren land jutted sharply from the surface. Bright red sea kelp clung to the submerged rocks and swayed with the tide.

"This looks like the place." John brought up the HUD. "Ready to go down?"

To his right, Toni smirked to herself. Behind her Rodney made a little moan-whimper noise. She turned in her chair, "You really hate going underwater that much?"

"Can't imagine." McKay scoffed. "The first time I was only stranded, nearly froze to death and almost drowned. It was a wonderful experience."

"Rodney," Teyla didn't pull her eyes from the view. "It was an accident."

"Yeah, that nearly killed me."

Sheppard lowered the puddle jumper into the water several hundred yards from the seamount. The visibility in the water made viewing the reef easy. It teemed with colorful fish and oddly shaped coral. It was an oasis environment in the open expanse of ocean.

"So where is it?" Ronon asked from where he stood between Teyla and McKay.

"Lower." Toni pointed. "Over there, I think."

"I'm picking something up." Rodney began typing away on his computer. "Oh, holy crap."

"What?" Sheppard spun around, not liking the sound of that.

"No, no." Rodney waved a hand around. "That was a good 'holy crap'. It's huge…and according to this, nearly intact."

"Really?" Toni turned away from the console she used to record their decent. "There isn't very much showing."

"You said there could be thousands of years of coral growth on top of it." John looked sideways at her before turning back to the controls. Ahead of them, steel gray interrupted the red, orange and green coral. "This is it."

"Is there any indication of a way in?" Teyla leaned forward to get a better look.

"Not that I can see." Toni frowned.

"But there is one just under the coral…there." Rodney called an image up on the HUD. It showed the rough outline of the seamount ridge and what part of it was the Ancient ship. "It's an empty escape pod hatch."

"How thick is the coral there?" Ronon asked.

"Not very. A meter. Maybe." McKay replied.

"Can the jumper hook up to it if the coral was out of the way?" Toni looked over to John.

"Nope, sorry." He chewed his lip.

"Then how do we get there?" Ronon frowned.

"It's 367 feet." Toni looked at the reading. "A dive team could make it with enough spare tanks. Or, if we used a jumper to pace the divers and use an umbilical to the jumper for an air supply…we could have enough time, depending on whether or not the ship is full of water."

"Can we blast away the coral with a drone?" John looked back at McKay.

"I wouldn't recommend it." Rodney shook his head. "Who know what condition that hatch is in. Unless…" He snapped his fingers. "Give me a minute." He turned back to his computer. "I take it back. If we lower the yield and fire from a reasonable distance through the water this should work."

The jumper moved away to the distance Rodney provided and fired the altered drone. After the sediment drifted down, they all saw the cleared hatch. "There's our way in." Toni smiled.

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Colonel Sheppard finished briefing Weir and hurried to join everyone in the equipment room to test the gear for their trip.

"Ronon, as much as I want you to go, there's no way you're going to get that on!"

He heard Toni's voice, as well as a roar of frustration, around the corner. Teyla stepped into the doorway, holding back a laugh so much her face was going red. "What?" He asked. The Athosian motioned over her shoulder and practically ran away before the laugh erupted.

"Argh!"

"Ronon! That's not going to…" She stopped seeing John turn the corner, freezing at the sight.

Ronon grunted again, ignoring the pain as he tried to shove the tight diving helmet over his head. His dreads crushed tight under the helmet, then shot straight out at the edge, like some cartoon octopus. It would only go to his upper lip before the helmet stuck.

John bit his lip, hoping his poker face stayed in place. "Hey, buddy. Whatcha doing?"

He breathed out an angry grunt, and only glared. Unfortunately, it made the sight even more comical. He fought to pry the helmet off his head. Sheppard's mask nearly broke as the crushed dreads stayed partially scrunched to his head as the ends retained their normal shape. It gave a whole new meaning to 'hat head'.

"It won't fit." Ronon finally growled.

"I'm sorry, Ronon, really." Toni squeezed one of his dreads. "All this hair just won't allow for a seal."

"Find something else. The space suits fit."

"They're designed differently. Negative atmospheres versus positives." John scowled to hide his grin. "Can't you gel it down or something?"

"Does gel keep your hair down?" Toni threw back.

"For a minute." He retorted. "Maybe."

She tried to stay serious, but she couldn't help the smile. He smiled back. It broke his mask. When he looked back to Ronon, he started laughing. "I'm sorry. But have you looked in a mirror?"

"Toni, just find something else. And you," he growled at Sheppard. "Shut up."

Sheppard distracted himself by turning to Rodney.

"I still don't like this." Rodney whined, looking at the scuba gear.

"Buck up, McKay."

"Listen, just because you want to keep an eye on your girlfriend doesn't mean…"

"Watch it." Sheppard got right into the scientist's face speaking low. "I know you're a little freaked out by this underwater stuff so I'm going to forget you said that. But even think it again in front of the Marines joining us on this trip and I will march you through every hot, bug infested, backwater planet I can find."

Rodney nodded uncomfortably. "Sorry. I know. I've just got this claustrophobic thing, and I don't see how I…"

"Just keep focused on all of the cool stuff we're going to find." John slapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Rodney frowned. "About that. You know it's possible that ZMP found in Rod's universe won't be there. The power readings were incredibly low."

"Maybe, but think about the other possibilities. Just imagine what we could find in the database, or in the armory." The Colonel grinned. "Besides, we need you to open the door."

"Argh! Damn it!"

They both looked over to see Ronon bent over, trying to shove the dreads in first. John chucked leaning closer to McKay, "At least you have a little room in your suit. Imagine sharing it with all that hair."

"Ronon, we'll figure something out." Toni said with as much sympathy as she could through her giggles. "Really. Stop it before rip the hair off your head."


	3. Chapter 3

Wreckage – Chapter 3

A/N: Huge, gigantic, monster apologies for taking so long to finish this up. Life got in the way…too much on my plate all at once. Thank you again, to all those who've been keeping an eye out for the new posts and big thanks to the wonderful responses I've received. They mean so much!

Just a warning that I'm taking some artistic liberties with the following diving scene. I have never gone scuba diving to extreme depths, so some of this is taken from diving journals and books I've read. So if I get something terribly wrong, please forgive me.

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Two days and nearly twenty hours of technical diving crash courses later, the team was ready to head out. The dive calculations were done and various decompression plans were in place. As the dozen air tanks were loaded onto the jumper, Ronon stood to the side scowling so deep it appeared painful.

Colonel Sheppard felt his own brows draw together just looking at him. "Listen," He stepped closer so he could speak quietly. "As soon as we get things secure on the inside, and establish the right atmosphere, the jumper will extend its shields so you can join us. Hell, you're getting the better end of the bargain."

Ronon glared sideways, working his jaw in frustration.

"We'll be in radio contact the whole time." Toni walked over to them, catching just the end of what John was saying. She knew this was really bothering the Satedan because they wouldn't let him dive without the Ancient diving helmets. The communications, sensor and regulator technology was too valuable, especially considering his lack of experience.

"Yeah, you'll get to hear Rodney whining the whole way down." John joked.

The big guy finally let a shade of a grin slip through his mask. "That could be worth hearing."

"Just remember that if we're all stuck together in the jumper for the time it takes to decompress." Toni squeezed his arm and went to check on the two marines loading their gear. The two were certified divers and would monitor their decent, matching the pressurization so the jumper could be used to resurface if they used their available air to explore the Ancient ship.

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The early morning sun shone down and a steady wind blew around the tiny seamount. As the jumper lowered to the surface, the rear hatch fell open. Inside, the team prepared to drop into the water.

Toni checked Rodney's gear. He shifted uncomfortably in the wet suit and whined. "I better not chafe."

She peeked over his shoulder at John and smiled. Lieutenant Jenkins, one of the Marines was helping him into the heavy gear. Teyla sat on the edge of the lowered jumper ramp, completely suited up, but for her helmet. John thought he saw a hint of apprehension in her normally calm demeanor.

"We will be able to communicate to each other once we are sealed in these suits?" Her eyes remained locked on the water's surface.

"Yes." The lieutenant responded. "These are some of the most advance suits available. They use some of the Ancient technology we've found in the city. There are redundant communication systems, as well as breathing systems. Plus, we'll be pacing you the whole way. You'll be fine."

"Oh God." Rodney squeaked as Toni lowered the helmet over his head. Sheppard smirked one last time as he locked his own helmet into place. He took Rodney by the arm and shuffled him over to the edge.

"Just like yesterday. Ready?" John's voice came over the com. He barely waited for Rodney's response before grabbing his arm and jumping off the edge. Six feet below, they splashed into the water.

As the group descended, the jumper moved off several hundred feet and paced the slow swim into the depths. Ronon stood between Jenkins and the other Marine, Allen Ramsland. The clear water allowed him to see each of the four clearly, although their size and movements were the only way he could tell them apart at this distance.

Sometime later, Ramsland spoke. "They've hit the 200 foot mark."

Ronon activated the com. "How are you guys doing?"

He could still hear Rodney's steady murmur of "oh god, oh god, oh god", but Sheppard's clear voice came through. "We're fine. Temperature is pretty comfortable, actually. I was worried I would be freezing my nuts off by now."

"Would I let that happen? I have a vested interest in keeping those safe." Toni retorted.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't. Happy to know they're in good hands."

"I don't have to tell _you_ how good."

"Oh, stop it." Rodney barked. "I can't afford to throw up in this thing, you know."

Ronon's smile turned into a full blown laugh at the looks on the faces of the Marines. "Don't worry about it." He chuckled. "They do that just to drive McKay nuts. Works every time."

Communications returned to the mission, as Toni verified the steps being taken as the team moved deeper. Check in statements and questions to the team to check their cognitive state took most of their time.

"We're here." Sheppard confirmed. "Looks like the drone did most of the work for us, but there's still a lot of stuff stuck to the ship's surface."

"I need to get to that panel." Rodney motioned.

Toni began to work at the dead coral with a small hammer. Soon McKay was accessing the crystals inside the ancient panel. The door to the escape hatch ground open, confirming the hallway beyond was full of water.

"This whole deck is flooded." McKay checked the Ancient scanner in his hand.

"We can see that, Rodney." John growled. "What about the rest of the ship?"

"Um…give me a second." He tapped on the screen as rapidly as his gloved hands would allow. "About a third of the ship is flooded, but the upper decks…including the computer core and the bridge are not."

"Does that mean we won't be able to board?" Ronon asked from his place in the Jumper. He was supposed to join them on the ship.

"I didn't say that." Rodney snapped. "If I can get some of the systems online, and establish a force field, I should be able to clear out the lower decks."

"Well," Sheppard peered into the dark passageway and turned on his hand held light. "Let's get moving."

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The white light of their lamps played off the gunmetal walls and illuminated the tiny algae in the water around them. Flotsam from the battle lay on the deck and drifted around them. Only the sounds of their breathing could be heard. Even McKay was quiet. It reminded Sheppard of a scene from a horror flick. A corpse floating by was all that was missing.

"John, watch your back." Toni's quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. "You don't want your tank is tangled in the debris."

He pulled himself lower. "Thanks." They came to a junction. "Which way, McKay?"

"Left." Rodney answered uncharacteristically direct and subdued. Silence stretched out again as they moved down the corridor in single file; Sheppard in the lead, then McKay, Teyla and Toni. "Access hatch. Up there."

Sheppard pushed off the floor swimming into the hatch. With the tanks on his back, he barely fit into the shaft. It looked like it went up several levels, but it was too dark to see where the openings may be. "Not much room in here." He told everyone. "Hold your position."

"Rodney, can you tell more about the ship? Areas are flooded?" Teyla asked.

"Working on it."

One level up, John came across an open doorway. Being vertical, and at eye level with the deck, he realized just how skewed ship was. "McKay, the ship is resting at a pretty good angle. Any idea how bad?"

"Oh, sure. Let me get right on that, too. After all, I've got so many resources at my disposal right now." Rodney spat. "In fact, while I'm at it, why don't I order up-"

"About twenty-five degrees." Toni answered.

"What? How do you know that?" McKay scoffed. He turned to see her holding up her arm near one of the vertical seams in the wall. A stylus tethered to her wrist floated straight up, giving a clear indication of the angle. "Oh yes, well, I suppose that works."

"So what does that mean?" John asked. He approached the second level up.

"Could mean nothing." Toni answered. "The ship has been sitting here for ten thousand years."

"Or it could mean it could slide into the depths where our heads would pop like a fifteen-year-old's pimple under the pressure."

"Thanks for that visual, McKay." Sheppard mumbled. "How about the rest of the ship? I'm two and a half levels up and just broke the surface." He shone the light around, looking at the dry walls.

"The access way you're in will lead to the bridge, another six levels up. We'd have to go further into the ship to get to the core room. With the angle what it is, we would have go up…um…four levels before breaking the surface." Rodney explained.

"Can we breathe this air?" John pulled himself up the ladder a bit. The gear was heavy. Walking around in it, even without the weight belt, would be tough.

"I wouldn't recommend it." McKay answered. "At least until I get to a terminal to see what the sensors say. They best shot for that would probably be in the core room."

"Okay." John chewed his lip. He didn't want to split up, but he knew they were on a time-line. "Toni, you and McKay get to the core room. Teyla, come with me to the bridge. How are we on time?"

Lieutenant Jenkins voice responded. "Forty-three minutes until you'll need reserve tanks."

"Hear that, Rodney? You have twenty minutes to get life support running." Sheppard barked.

"But he said…"

"Twenty, McKay."

btc


	4. Chapter 4

Wreckage – Chapter 4

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"What room are we looking for, Rodney?" Toni walked behind the scientist.

"It should be just up this corridor." He stopped, scowling at his computer. "I can barely type with this damn thing on." Rodney fiddled with the stylus for a moment more. "Yeah," he pointed straight ahead. "There it is."

"Finally." Toni followed him into the large room.

Several chairs littered the floor and a thin layer of greenish dust covering the consoles. Dim blue and white lights shone, as if it was just waiting for the next user to step up.

"Sounds like… you're there." Sheppard's voice cut in, sounding winded. "How's it.. look?"

"Oh lovely. I think Martha Stewart redecorated recently." McKay snipped. Still his fingers already flew over the ancient controls. "Might even be last season's colors."

"Nice…" The Colonel panted. "How long until… you can tell… if we can lose… the suits? They're heavy."

"John, where are you?" Toni looked over Rodney's shoulder even though she had no idea what the screens said.

"Ladder in… access shaft. One more level… to go."

"Yes." Teyla joined the conversation. "The climb… is most… challenging."

"How are coming, Rodney?" Toni looked at her watch. "We're at fourteen minutes. I hate to think they climbed all that way for nothing."

"Working on it." He snipped.

"McKay." Sheppard barked. "Do you… have time?"

"Just a second. Um. Let's see…" He gloved hands flew over the control pad and his laptop. "Oh yeah! Not a problem. Two, three minutes tops, and I'll have life support online."

"Good." Sheppard breathed. He pulled himself onto the deck of the command level. The tanks hit the wall hard when he tried to sit back. The Colonel closed his eyes gulping for air. In retrospect, climbing six levels with nearly a hundred pounds of confining unbalanced gear was probably pretty stupid. They most likely used two thirds of their air in the climb.

Teyla's gloved hand slapped on the deck. He came up on his knees and pulled her to him. "Thank you." She mirrored his position on the opposite wall.

"Just rest for a minute." John let his head fall as forward as the suit would allow, concentrating on slowing his heart rate. After a moment his breath came easier. "McKay?"

"Cryin' out loud! Give me a second." Rodney tapped rapidly on his computer, cursing under his breath about the waterproof casing being in the way. "That should be…it."

Air circled through the room, kicking up the greenish dust. Toni looked around, watching the faint movement. "Is it breathable?"

"Not yet."

"McKay, you said you could…" Sheppard barked over the radio.

"I said not yet. Give it a minute. This system has been down for thousands of years." He rolled his eyes despite the lack of anyone to see him do it. The indicators on the screen for the air quality continued to rise. "Just sit tight. It's nearly done."

"Are you going to be able to clear out the water?" Ronon's voice joined them.

"Hey, take a number!" McKay snapped. "The life support needs to get to a hundred percent before they can keep pace with the expanding shields. One thing at a time. I know patience isn't really high on your list of job skills, but in this instance…"

"Rodney." John cut him off, knowing he would continue until stopped. He stood and helped Teyla to her feet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, the air is breathable now."

"Well," Sheppard brow scrunched up. _That was fast_. "About time."

He unlatched the helmet and took a deep breath of the stale air. Moving down the dimly lit hall, John felt himself stagger. The floor seemed to tilt. He reached out for the cold metal of the wall as a searing pain stabbed behind his right eye. A groan escaped his throat when he tilted his head to one side. The pain spread down his back and arms, flaring at each of his joints. Pins and needles attacked his hands and feet. When John tried to move down the hall his sciatic nerve blazed.

John heard Teyla cry out further down the hall. Biting down on his lip and pushing past the pain, he moved toward her. She lay on the floor just around the corner. Her hands pressed to her head as she panted. "John. What is…happening?"

He had a pretty good idea. "Rodney! What the hell did you just do?!"

In the core room Rodney fell to his knees, feeling like one giant charlie-horse.

Toni gasped, grabbing the chair beside her. "Pressure! Rodney! Fix the pressure!"

He rolled onto his butt, bring his knees up and cradling the laptop, crying out the whole time. "Oh crap! Oh crap! Agh! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Come on! Dammit! Come on!"

"Rodney!" John shouted the same time Ronon demanded to know what was going on. "McKay?!"

Their ears popped the stabbing pain receded to a dull ache. Looking at Teyla with concern, she only nodded then closed her eyes and rested the side of her head on the wall. He groaned, "What the hell?"

"The system," McKay tried to shake the stars out of his vision. "It tried to initialize a standard atmosphere."

"Bends." Toni moaned. "Holy shit, that hurt."

"Is everyone okay?" Ronon's tight voice cut through the sounds of their groans.

"We'll be okay as long as we don't rapidly decompress again!" John responded. Sound much more calm than felt. That was completely unnerving.

"No, I've set the system to maintain the same relative pressure as the water outside." Seeing the pained, pinched look on Toni's face, Rodney fully realized what he'd done. Imagining all the gasses in their bodies sudden expanding, and the effects it cause filled him with guilt. "Is everyone okay? Um, I…I'm really sorry."

"I'm fine. It's okay, Rodney." Toni half smiled.

"We are fine, as well." Teyla shook her head, willing the pain away. "We have much to do. What is next?"

Vibrations climbed through their boots just before a grinding, bone rattling noise resonated throughout the ship. The floor jerked beneath their feet. Everything not bolted down flew against the wall. John was remotely aware of screams, he reached out to grab something, anything. Nothing was there. He felt himself falling, then a blinding white pain.

Teyla hit the wall hard, partially landing on John. Her head spun from the impact and it took a moment to realize Ronon was yelling into the com. She rolled over, looking at the Colonel. A dark red pool of blood spread from beneath his head. She reached out to touch his face, stopping as the pain from her shoulder registered. Gasping in pain, Teyla realized something was broken.

In the control room, Toni crawled over to Rodney. He lay buried under several chairs and the console covers he'd pulled off. "McKay," she began clearing stuff away. He moaned and pushed a chair aside. She could see a gash on his left cheek. "You okay?"

"My head." He reached back. "What the hell happened?"

She followed his hand with hers, feeling a huge lump just behind his ear. The ship vibrated and shifted again, causing them to slide further. "Rodney! The ship!"

"Oh my God." Rodney sat up, eyes wild with a million calculations and a healthy dose of fear. "The ship is slipping down the seamount."

"Damn it somebody answer me!" Ronon's voice bellowed over the com.

"Ronon," Toni crawled on her knees to get Rodney's tablet. "Hold on." She had another worry. "John? John are you okay?"

Teyla felt for the damage on the back of John's head. "Toni, we are here." He moaned at her touch. "The Colonel has experienced a head wound." His eyes fluttered open. "But I believe he will be fine. What happened?"

"It looked like the whole reef broke free. You've dropped another forty feet." Ronon cut in. "We've got to get you out of there before the ship falls deeper!"

"Oh crap," Rodney tapped away on his computer. Toni crawled over beside him. "He's right. The water we pushed out increased the ships buoyancy and we overestimated the strength of the reef. It snapped. We're going to slide into the trench."

"We've got to get out of her." Toni did her best to stand on the severely angled wall. "Where are the tanks?" They were gone, slipped down the corridor and into the water.

"What the hell?" John's voice cracked. Teyla kept her hand pressed against his wound, felling the blood ooze around her fingers. "Rodney? Toni?"

"Colonel, please lie still." Teyla leaned closer to him. "Your head is bleeding."

"No. No." McKay cut in. "You have to get him up and moving, like now. We have to find a way out of here. This thing could drop at any time."

"Drop?" John sat up, feeling his head spin and stomach churn at the motion. Concussion. Great. He tried to focus as McKay explained what happened. He tried to stand, only getting up to his hands and knees. Vertigo threatened to cause his stomach to empty.

Teyla steadied him with her good arm. "Are you able to walk?"

"Gimme a second."

"John?" Toni's voice held all her worry.

"I'll be alright. My head's pretty hard."

"We've got another problem." Toni chewed her lip as she looked down the hole which was once the corridor. "Rodney and I have lost our tanks. They fell. I don't know how deep."

"Just great." John sat back down. "Anything else I should know about?"

"The access hatch is now on the underside of the ship." Ronon's voice grumbled with tension. "Doesn't look like you can get out that way."

"Perfect."


	5. Chapter 5

Wreckage – Chapter 5

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Ronon paced the small ship like a caged animal. They had to do something…anything. He turned to the two marines. "Can we secure the ship? Keep it from falling?"

Jenkins shook his head. His jaw worked as he thought about their options. "No. It's just too big. Perhaps they could get to another exit point. From here, though, I don't know what we can do."

"We have to think of something." Ronon leaned closer, barely containing his frustration. The marine pushed back in his chair, getting as far away from the angry Satedan as possible. Ronon's feet began moving again. Step, step, step, turn. Got to do something.

"Rodney," he barked into the radio. "Think. How do we get you out of there? Tell me what to do."

"I'm trying to figure that part out." Rodney rapidly scrolled through the screens on his tablet. "Life support is still on line, but a number of other systems are down. So at least we're not going to run out of air."

"That's something." Toni crawled around looking for anything they could use. "I don't know about you, but I'd feel better if we could at least find a way out of this room."

"Yeah." Rodney looked around as if the immediate problem had not occurred to him. "It would be a good start."

Partially up the wall, former ceiling, something looked like a grate. Still, from where she stood it was impossible to tell what it actually was. "Rodney," she pointed. "What's that?"

"Air shaft." He smiled briefly. "Good idea. Hold on." Checking his computer, nodded. "Yeah, yeah. We, ah, we can use the air shaft to get out of the control room and to the next levels up... down?...well, you get what I mean. From there we should be able to make it to the bridge. At least we'll all be together when this thing falls into the abyss."

"We just need to get it open." Toni dug the multi-tool out of her pocket. It would have to do. "John, did you hear that? We're going to try to make our way to you."

"Okay." Sheppard tried to focus. He could feel blood trickle down the back of his neck. _Have to stop the bleeding._ Looking over at Teyla, he noticed her cradling her right arm. They exchanged a knowing look. "How bad?"

"I think my shoulder is broken."

He looked up the wall, which was actually the floor, to where they had been standing at the command chair. A distance of at least twenty-five feet. "Pretty good tumble."

"Yes." She attempted a smile. "I believe you broke my fall."

"Happy to help." Sheppard looked around. "Are we in any better shape as far as getting out of here?"

"The doorway is just there." Teyla motioned over his shoulder. She got up, moving to the wall with the door. "It will be difficult to maneuver, but we can get through the passageways." Looking back at the Colonel, her brow furrowed. "Right now, however, I am going to find something to help stop your bleeding."

Toni fought with the grate, trying to remove the cover. She stood on two chairs piled one on the other. "I could seriously use Ronon's gun about now."

"Having trouble?" John's voice filled her ear. He sounded slightly slurred. Toni bit back her worry. It sounded like his head wound was still bleeding, and he didn't sound very good.

"Nothing we can't handle. Blasting through it would just be a hell of a lot easier. How you hanging in there?"

"Just peachy." Sheppard's dry response was interupts with a yelp. "Damn," he sucked in his breath.

"John?"

"Just Teyla's gentle touch."

"Colonel, you know that I must apply pressure to stem the bleeding. I regret it causes you pain." Her normally calm voice was strained.

Jerking hard on the grate, Toni finally pulled it free. "Got it. Rodney, you ready?"

"Just a second." McKay sat wedged under one of the consoles. He wanted to extract as much of the ship's memory as he could before they lost it forever. As Toni worked on the way out, he'd climbed from console to console until he reached the main control panel. Tucking the last of the crystals into his pack, he slid back down the steep 'wall' to where Toni balanced on the chairs. "Got all I could reach."

"Okay," The marine biologist pushed herself into the air duct. "We're on our way."

Ronon stared out the forward view of the Jumper. The marines were communicating with Atlantis, briefing Dr. Weir of the teams predicament. She was preparing other jumpers to come to their assistance. Although, she warned, that coming up with some way of helping could take a while. Zelenka recommended retrofitting several jumpers with a type of grappling hook so they could hold the ship steady while the team made their way out.

As clouds of silt and sand trickled below the Ancient ship, Ronon cut into their conversation. "I don't think they're going to have that kind of time."

"Ronon?" Elizabeth questioned.

He didn't answer, instead calling for the Colonel. "Sheppard! That thing is about to shift again!"

The flow of sand increased and the huge ship suddenly jarred forward, dislodging and pushing a cloud out around the ship. For a frozen breath, they waited to see how far the ship would fall before it stopped. Water around it cleared, revealing the damage. The warship faced nearly straight down, hanging precariously on the edge of the seamount.

"Come on! Talk to me!" Ronon growled. "Is everyone okay?"

Toni tried to take a deep breath, but McKay's foot dug into her stomach, pushing on her diaphragm. "Get off me."

"Sorry." Rodney tried to move his weight so it wasn't crushing her. When the ship shifted they rapidly slid down…up?... the shaft, landing in a pile at the end. He help her straighten up. They stood close together in the narrow shaft. "That's one way to reach the bridge level."

"Guys?" Ronon called out again.

"Rodney and I are okay. John? Teyla?"

"We're okay." Sheppard answered. "Glad you gave us the heads up, buddy. If we would have stayed on the bridge, we wouldn't be able to reach the hall way now." He stood on the outside edge of the bridge door, looking down into the massive room below."

John still held one hand flat against Telya's stomach, pressing her to the wall. He studied her pained face for a moment as he released her. Her eyes pinched with pain, and she breathed in shallow pants. The last jostle must have done more damage. "Hold on. We're getting out of here soon."

"Yes." She closed her eyes, pushing a single tear out, but centering resolve. "I will be ready."

"Weir has Zelenka working on a way to rig the Jumpers up so they can secure the ship." Ronon announced.

"I don't see how an extra jumper is going to do us a damn bit of good." Rodney scoffed.

An idea clicked in Sheppard's aching, fuzzy brain. "Rodney, you are a genius."

"Of course I am. Uh... wait... why?"

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More soon! Thanks for the responses and flags! I really appreciate (and love) the feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - First I want to thank the huge number of you for adding this to your favorites and alerts. It's so encouraging to know you're enjoying this tale! And for those leaving reviews . . . thank you, thank you, thank you!! I really appreciate the kind words!

Wreckage – Chapter 6

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"Toni!"

"Teyla!"

"Toni!"

"Teyla?"

"Toni! Here!"

"Woof!"

John chuckled, "Ow. Don't make me laugh."

Teyla's eyebrow rose in question. Sheppard just waved her off. Instead she turned back to the grate beside them. Finally, Toni's brown eyes peeked through the holes in the grate.

"Hey there."

"Hello." The Athosian smiled back. "One moment and we will have you out."

Sheppard did his best to look nonchalant as he worked on the fasteners for the grate, but he had trouble focusing on the small points. He hoped no one noticed his hands shaking. Swallowing against his dry mouth, John tried to smile as he caught Toni's eyes. "Almost there. We need to hurry, though. Rodney, how do we get to the hanger bays?"

"Uh," McKay glanced at his tablet. "Um, that way." He pointed over his shoulder to the wall behind him.

"Great." John grunted as he pulled the grate off. "Now show me how to get there."

"I don't see how that's going to help. It's not like they're going to be able to fly the jumper in and pick us up." McKay climbed out of the air shaft.

Toni climbed out after, silently squeezing John's hand. She couldn't help noticing the dried blood along his neck, behind his ear, and running all the way from his hair to below his collar. Her brows drew together. His fingers tightened around hers and his eyes pleaded. For once, she didn't say anything.

He turned to Rodney. "No, but according to what I read before we went into the spin cycle, there should be a few jumpers already there."

"That we could use to get out." Rodney nodded. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"We've got a ways to go. Let's move." John led them through the upside-down corridor.

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Teyla groaned as McKay helped her over the edge of the wall into the next corridor. They both froze, feeling a deep vibration through the ship. They lights flickered. "No, no, no, no…" Rodney grab the wall with one hand and tightened his grip on Teyla with the other.

Silence stretched out.

"I think it is safe to continue." Teyla tilted her head to make eye contact with the frozen scientist.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Okay."

They moved down the corridor, stepping over light fixtures and debris, to catch up with Sheppard and Toni. They both ignored the way the couple held hands, and the way their Colonel tried to hide using her grasp to steady himself. They stopped an intersection of the halls.

"Over there?" John pointed straight across.

"That's the way we have to go." McKay confirmed.

Toni looked down. The intersecting hallway was now straight up and down… a very long way down. The span stretched out approximately eight feet, too far to jump in the shape they were all in. Turning back the way they come, she didn't even see anything to anchor a line upon.

John chewed on his bottom lip, scowling down the hall.

"Any ideas?" She asked.

He looked back and forth a few times. The three of them waited. Back, forward, back again. His eyebrow arched and he threw up his index finger with a 'wait' motion. Before they could ask he retreated back down the hall, disappearing into a nearby room.

"McKay!"

"Coming…" Rodney shrugged and followed.

Teyla leaned gingerly against the wall, and closed her eyes. Toni knew she must be in a great deal of pain. "Is there anything I can do? Help secure your arm maybe?"

"I do not know how." She half-smiled. "I dare not remove the wet suit and we have no medical kit."

"Would it help, binding your arm to your chest?" Toni stepped closer. "I have an idea that might help."

Teyla flexed her hand of her injured arm, feeling it ache with the simplest movement. "Yes. I believe it would."

"Okay." Toni began to strip out of her wet suit. She pulled her arms free, and opened her knife. She cut the neoprene around the waist and then removed the arms off the wet suit. "Let's put your good arm through here and I'll zip this up around your injured arm."

Toni struggled with the cut zipper for a few moments. Gasping a little in pain, Teyla forced her arm tightly around herself, under her breasts. The make-shift neoprene vest zipped up, snugly holding her injured appendage in place.

They both jumped as a metallic bang rang through the hall.

"Damn it, Rodney!"

"Sorry, sorry. I told you my hands were slipping."

"What the…" Toni rushed down the hall to where the two men were pushing a long narrow table into the hall.

"To span the hall." John indicated the length. "Should be just long enough."

"Well, let me help." Toni took a corner at Rodney's end. Before long they had flipped the table and were slide it into place, holding the legs on one end as an anchor. They struggled. The thing was heavy. Still, John guessed correctly. About ten inches rested on either side.

"See." Sheppard tried to smile. "No problem." He looked down the chasm. "This was my idea. Guess I'll go first."

Toni bit her tongue. She could see the fresh blood flowing from his head wound. His skin looked pale and a faint sheen of sweat on his face. He was fighting against his wound, and the probable concussion. As he crossed the expanse, walking as if he were on a six inch beam rather than a three foot table, she unconsciously held her breath. She blew out slowly as he stepped off on the other side.

"Teyla," John held the table legs on the other side. "You're next."

Walking with the balance of a dancer, she crossed in a matter of moments.

"Go on, Rodney." Toni motioned.

"No, you first. I insist." His eyes were transfixed on the open space between the halls.

"Rodney, come on." Sheppard's voice lowered. "Don't look down. Look straight at me."

The scientist made a small keening noise as he shuffled across. He did as the Colonel said and kept their eyes firmly locked. Reaching the other side, he moved three or four steps from the edge. "Okay, not so bad. That wasn't too bad."

"You did fine, Rodney." John smirked. He wasn't sure if it was his aching head, the spin of the world around him, or his instinct, but something pushed him to move. "Toni," He motioned for her to come across.

She got two steps onto the table when vibrations rocked the ship and shifted the table. Taking one big step she pushed forward, grasping John's hand. Rodney, forgetting his fear, lurched forward and grabbed her other hand as the table lurched beneath her feet. It twisted and dropped, leaving Toni hanging in their grasp.

For a frightful moment, in perfect clarity, Toni saw the table bounce off the walls as it plummeted down the shaft. Her feet kicked to find a purchase. Looking up, she locked eyes with John. His hazel eyes showed no fear, no worry. He had her.

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More to come soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Wreckage - Chapter 7

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"What now?" Rodney sat back on his butt beside the open bay door, which was now a gaping hole in the floor. Below him the jumper bay looked a lot like a cavern. At the bottom, nearly a hundred feet down, four jumpers lay in pile. The jumper bay doors now made up a whole wall.

"Colonel," Teyla looked over Rodney shoulder. "Do you have a plan for getting down there?"

They'd managed to make their way half way across the ship and now faced a problem none of them anticipated.

"Hadn't gotten that far yet." He chewed his lower lip. Focusing had been getting more difficult. The throbbing in his head turned to stabbing pain not long ago. Waves of nausea came more frequently as well.

"Rodney," Toni asked. "What's around here? Any supply rooms? Any place where we might get our hands on rope or cable?"

"Probably not, but I'll look." He began checking his tablet. "Any data cable we find won't be much help. It's basically strings of a glass-like material. It would never hold our weight."

"Damn." Sheppard slid his back down the wall, resting in a squat position. _Come on, John, focus_.

For what seemed like a very long time they were all silent, each digging for a solution. The one strong hope of escaping lay within their sight, but too far away to reach. McKay muttered to himself, shooting down his own ideas as quickly as they came to mind. Teyla looked dead on her feet, with her jaw clenched in pain. Toni knew John wasn't saying how bad he was really hurt.

"Any way you can remote into the jumper's computers?" Sheppard asked quietly, without much hope.

"No," Rodney shook his head.

"This the jumper bay, right? There should be a way to do repairs. Like a lift or something. Would that have some sort of cable strong enough." Toni paced.

"They were Ancients, not auto mechanics."

"Just throwing out ideas, Rodney. Chill." She snapped back.

"We need to shift the ship more." John looked up. "If it rolls just a few more degrees, we could literally slide down to the jumpers."

"Yeah, and plunge to watery grave!" Rodney jumped up.

"Listen," John tried to look at the other man, but when McKay shuffled from foot to foot, his vision blurred. So instead he picked one spot on the floor to stare at. "If I'm figuring this right, we'll tip a few more degrees before coming flush with the seamount. Then we should begin to skid down, not fall. It would give us enough shift in position to slide down the wall, get in a jumper and blast our way out of here before we reach a critical depth."

"You really did knock you head hard." Rodney glared. "That's insane."

"Yeah, but it might work." Toni had to concede, it would be a huge risk. Still, it was the only viable idea they had.

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"That's not a very good plan, sir." Jenkins listened from the jumper.

"It's not like they're going to have much choice." Ronon growled.

"Guys," Toni's voice interrupted over the radio. "This thing is going to drop, whether it's because more of the reef gives way or the current shifts. I would rather you give it the nudge it needs over waiting and have it be a surprise."

"Dr. Weir thinks the adaptations to the jumpers will be done in the next hour or two. If we wait…"

"No." Sheppard cut off the Marine. "We've been feeling micro tremors. It's going to go soon." He stopped and swallowed back another wave of nausea. Toni's warm hand touched the back of his clammy neck. Opening his eyes, he continued. "When I give the signal push at the ship with the jumper's shields, nice a gentle, until it goes on its own. Then get the hell out of the way."

"We'll be ready." Ronon responded, not giving the Marines a chance to argue.

"Rodney, I want you to stick close to Teyla and try to keep her steady. That break is bad enough as it is."

McKay nodded his understanding. Behind the acute fear of what they were about to do was a deep worry. John would never defer the protection of a teammate to someone else unless he was in a seriously bad way. He exchanged a look with Teyla and knew she recognized it as well.

"Mind if I hold on to you for this ride? Kinda reminds me of the old slides at the state fair." Toni tried to joke. He only gave her a half smile. At least he didn't push her away.

Teyla and Rodney sat on the edge of the doorway, feet dangling off the edge. McKay's breathing came a bit quick and his heart pounded in his ears. Sheppard joined them and Toni straddled his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

He took a long deep breath. "Go for it, guys."

A second later they felt the ship rumble. A loud scraping noise echoed through the halls. McKay muttered, "oh shit." Then everything moved, jerking.

"Now!" John pushed himself forward, taking Toni with him. They both laid back, keeping in contact with the ship. The fall was fast, but even as they moved down, the ship tilted and slowed their descent. Although, not by much.

Toni felt John go slack in her arms. It felt like he lost consciousness. She heard Rodney scream. The 'floor' came up fast. Toni stretched out her right arm and leg in an attempt to shift their slide, otherwise they'd hit bottom and it could break both of John's legs.

They all landed hard. McKay rolled head over heels. Teyla screamed in pain. John and Toni tumbled one over the other.

"Get the jumper open!" Teyla yelled at Rodney.

Toni turned John over just in time to see his eyes open. They were glassy. He forced them open further and centered in on her face. "John?"

"Get me up." He croaked.

She helped him stand. Teyla was there, offering her good arm. Together they made their way to Rodney. Even though the jumper rested at a harsh angle, the rear hatch opened most of the way. They crawled in and Sheppard made his way to the front, using the bench and seats for balance. Toni jumped into the co-pilot position.

John felt his adrenaline kick in and he forced the pain, the sickness, and the fatigue aside. His ears popped. They were falling. His hands flew over the controls, and his mind brought the ship to life. Inertia-dampeners came on, shields went up and the ship lifted off the floor.

"Do something about the pressure." He didn't direct the order to anyone in particular. He just knew he was at his limit.

"Got it." Toni answered.

His ears popped again. "Good. Time to get the hell out of here."

Two drones struck the bay doors. They blew out, but the water pushed in crashing through and tossing the jumper about. With the dampeners functioning, they were jostled far less than they would have been otherwise. Still, it was very disorienting. John steadied the jumper, firing another drone to widen the opening. The water made it look like slow motion. John pushed the jumper forward, into blackness.

Once clear of the landing bay, the jumper changed direction, veering away from the falling battle ship. A protruding portion of the ship clipped the jumper's shields and they were sent into a spin. Although they barely felt the shift, the view swung rapidly around. It stabilized and they shot into open water.

"John?!" Teyla called, unable to grab for him as he slumped forward, and fell from the pilot's chair.

Toni dropped to the floor beside him. She cradled his head, straightening his neck. Warm blood filled her hand and rapidly pooled on the floor.

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still more to come!


	8. Chapter 8

Wreckage – Chapter 8

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"Rodney, find a medical kit!" Toni called out. She cradled John's head in her hands, pressing against his wound. "Something, find something."

"I'm looking!"

She leaned down, kissing his cold cheek. "Come on, John. You got us out. Now, damn it, hold on."

Looking more closely, she saw darkness under his ear. Looking behind the lobe, a dark crescent shaped bruise disappeared into his hairline. Gently pushing open his eyelids, one then the other, she felt panic begin to cause her hands to shake.

"There's nothing here." Rodney stood among all the open compartments.

"You've got to find a way to link up to the other jumper without loosing pressure." Toni fought to keep her voice steady. "He needs a medical kit. We need to get a hold of Carson too."

"What is it?" Teyla could see the change in Toni's demeanor.

"I'm not certain," Toni ground out. "But I think this is really bad."

"Yeah," Rodney now sat in the pilot's seat. "I going to sit down where the Ancient ship was, and extend the shield. Make sure you're atmosphere readings are the same as what I sent."

A moment later the rear hatch fell open and Ronon rushed in with a large duffle. Without being told, he tore open a large trauma dressing and handed it to Toni. She secured it around John's head, but Ronon took the ends from her to tie it off. He saw the tremor in her fingers.

Teyla held a moist antibacterial wipe. Toni absently wiped the blood from her hand. She moved out of the way as Jenkins and Ronon slipped a board under John and moved him further back in the jumper where there was more room.

"I'm here. Tell me what's goin' on down there." Carson's voice came across the jumper's com.

"John is unconscious… a head injury. And, Teyla broke something in her shoulder." Rodney replied. "Toni doesn't think we should depressurized yet."

"Carson," Toni gently wiped some of the blood from John's neck. "His head was bleeding from the original wound, and he muscled through it. I know he was feeling sick. Dizzy too. On that last tumble, it started bleeding again. He hasn't responded at all since loosing consciousness. There's bruising behind his ears, and his pupils are uneven. Tell me this isn't what I think it is. Please."

"Oh, my dear." Carson's voice was comforting even from so far away. "Yes, I'm afraid so. He has all the signs of a compound skull fracture, possibility a depressed fracture. You're right to stay put. He's going to need surgery. And I'm afraid he's going to get worse as you all decompress."

Toni chewed her lip. Damn.

"Do you have an I.V. kit there?"

"Yeah, Doc." Ronon pulled the box out of the duffle.

"Teyla, dear, sounds like you're out of commission as well, but do you like you can talk one of them through starting an I.V. on the Colonel, just like I've showed you? It's going to have to do in order to keep his pressure up."

"Yes, Carson. I believe I can." Teyla took the bottle of water and two pills Ronon handed her and swallowed them without hesitation.

"Okay, now I've been told it's going to take you about two and a half hours to regulate enough to get out of there. I want you to bring those jumpers back here, so we can get him into surgery as soon as possible. This is going to be tricky, so here's what I want you to look out for…"

Carson began to give them instruction and lists of symptoms. In the meantime the Marines went back to the other jumper, and they all began the trip back to Atlantis. Toni pulled herself away from John to pilot the ship herself. She was more of a natural at it than Rodney and she wanted it to be a smooth ride. All the while, she said a silent prayer to whatever powers that be for John's safety.

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They'd been sitting in the jumper, in the landing bay on Atlantis, for just over an hour.

Teyla rested upright in one of the chairs. Ronon popped another ice pack for her to hold against her shoulder. "You doing okay?"

"The pain is increasing," she conceded. "But I will be fine until we get out of here."

Toni and Rodney sat on either side of John. Toni couldn't help herself, she kept one hand over his and the other hand gently felt his pulse. His skin color paled even further and they'd added another layer of dressing to his head when the original bled through.

"You know," Rodney continued to talk, just to fill the silence. "I think I can recalibrate the atmospheric controls to shorten the time by at least ten percent…"

John's whole body shuttered. His breath caught and back arched up off the floor.

"Carson!" Rodney shouted. 

Toni held his head as stable as she could. "He's convulsing!"

"We can't wait any longer!" The doctor's voice called out. "Get ready, in there. Open it up."

The jumper door opened. They all gasped from the pop in their ears and the sudden headache. Carson and four others rushed into the small space, lifting the Colonel off the floor and onto a gurney. They didn't waste a moment, working on him as they crossed the bay. Toni did her best to follow, but one of the other medics took her by the shoulders and pushed her down onto the bench.

"Get the hell out of my way." Toni stood again.

"In a second," He held her back, allowing another medic to lead Teyla out of the jumper. "I know you're anxious to get down there, but you need to let me help." She glared at him, trying to remember his name. "If you don't let me help you, Dr. Beckett is going to have my ass."

"Fine." Toni let the medic put her on a gurney and wheel her down to the infirmary.

Rodney and Ronon were there by the time she arrived. Rodney leaned forward as one of the doctor's examined the lump on his head. The big Satedan annoyingly batted away the nurse attempting to take his vitals. He looked up stating plainly, "They're prepping Sheppard and Teyla for surgery."

Knowing there was nothing else she could do, Toni laid back and let the nurses do there poking and prodding. Now she had to wait. She hated waiting.

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Ronon awoke when he heard the quiet movement across the room. Two doctors wheeled Teyla into the room. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were open. He stepped to her side as they moved her bed into place.

"Hey."

"Ronon."

"The doc says they were able to fix up all the stuff in your shoulder joint. You'll barely even have a scar."

"That is good to hear." She looked around with unfocused eyes. "And John?"

"Intensive care." He sat down in the chair beside her bed. "Toni's in there, and Rodney is waiting just outside. Beckett will only allow one in at a time. He's only been out of surgery for a little while."

"How bad?" Teyla fought to keep her eyes open.

"Bad." Dr Weir's voice joined them. She walked in and touched Teyla's good shoulder. "I'm happy to see you're going to be alright."

"Tell me."

"He had a compound fracture of the skull and subdural hematoma. He was bleeding between the skull and his brain. Carson was able to stop the bleeding and patched the fractured bone, but it placed a lot of pressure and there's swelling."

"But he will recover?" Teyla frowned. Weir's lips tightened into a line.

"It's Sheppard. He'll come out of it." Ronon stated with complete confidence, although it was forced.

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At some point Toni fell asleep, head resting on her hand on the side of John's bed. Rodney walked in as quietly as he could. Carson finished the surgery eleven hours ago and he'd spent the last four hours hounding the doctor into allowing him into the ICU room with the Colonel.

John looked horrible. A white bandage covered his head, there was a tube in his nose, and dark circles were a stark contrast to his pale skin. "Damn." He whispered to himself.

Toni's head lifted from the bedside, a line from her hand showed on her cheek. Her eyes were red. She reached out a hand as tears filled her eyes again. Rodney stepped closer and squeezed her fingers. Not knowing what to stay, he just sat down next to her.

A nurse came in and checked Sheppard's vitals. She gave them both a small smile before she left. Toni watched her leave just as she felt John's fingers tighten around hers.

"John?" She stood, leaning closer. "John, hon, open your eyes. Please, baby."

He groaned and tried to open his dry lips.

"John?" Rodney put his hand on the other man's arm. "I'll get Carson." Then he was gone.

"Come on, please." Toni ran her fingers over the stubble on his cheek.

His eyes opened a bit. "Wha 'appened?"

A small sob of relief, escaped her throat. "Your head's not as hard as you thought."

"Got t' get us out." His eyes wouldn't focus

"You did. We're home. It's okay."

"Home?"

"Yeah, hero. You got us out. We're home." She kissed his fingers.

"Don' 'member." His eyes closed again.

"We're all okay. You're in the infirmary."

"Toni," he whispered, eyes staying closed.

"Yes."

"Hurt."

"I know," She kissed his cheek. "Carson's coming."

"Kay." He barely breathed.

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Elizabeth, Toni and all of Sheppard's team gathered around Teyla's bed. Beckett called them all together shortly after examining the barely conscious Colonel. "I wanted to let all of you know that I think the Colonel is past the worst of it. He's aware of where he is and understands what happened, even if he doesn't remember it."

"He's got memory loss?" Elizabeth worried.

"Aye. It's common in head injuries of this sort to lose some of the short term memories surrounding the incident. For now, I'm going to keep him where he's at until some of the swelling goes down. That means only one or two visitors at time, and only if you promise not to disturb him."

"Shotgun." Rodney's hand came up.

"Rodney," Toni started, but Beckett placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You, my dear, are to go take a nice long shower, get something to eat and sleep for at least six hours." He gave her a stare that somehow managed to be stern and caring at the same time. "Don't make me make that an order."

"We'll let you know if anything changes." Ronon offered.

"I've given him enough pain medication that he'll be asleep for a long stretch. Don't worry." Carson squeezed her shoulder. She nodded her agreement. "As for you, my dear." He turned to Teyla. "You can go in the morning. However, I want to you to be very, very careful because I have you on some blood thinners to prevent any clotting. It was a right nasty wound without having to wait such a long time before treatment."

"Okay, then." Elizabeth stood from her chair. "Thank you, Carson. Let us know if there's any change."

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John heard Toni's laugh. It seemed far away. He reached for it, but it seems to dissipate like smoke. She laughed again, and this time there was a voice. Elizabeth. Like battling through spider webs, his mind pushed towards the sound.

He groaned. "T'ni"

Her voice filled his ears. Elizabeth's too. They were saying his name. He peeled open his dry eyes, thick with too much sleep, and tried to focus. His eyes locked with Toni's dark brown ones. "Hey."

"Hey back," She smiled.

"John," Elizabeth's hand rested on his leg. "How do you feel?"

"Um," He tried to take stock of himself, but everything was fuzzy. He felt heavy, and couldn't concentrate. Vague images filtered through his brain. "Like crap."

"That's a good start." She smiled. "I'll let the others know he's awake."

"You gave me a scare." Toni held his hand in both of hers.

"Sorry." He weakly squeezed her fingers. "Doc operated."

"Yeah, two days ago." She tried to smile. "Just another scar to add to your collection."

"'S'kay." His lip twitched. "Hair never laid down flat there anyway."

She laughed honestly this time. He was going to be fine.

End

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A/N: If you've hung on this long, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy it.


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